The rapid rise of cities has led to a closer and more complex connection between cities and literature, and research on cities has gradually attracted the attention of scholars at home and abroad. Overseas scholar Zhang Yingjin shuttles between literary and film texts, focusing on the urban configurations of Beijing and Shanghai to explore urban mentality and urban experience. The stable spatial configuration shapes the traditional and simple “Beijing mentality”, while the flowing time configuration creates the confusing “modern Shanghai”. Zhang Yingjin puts Beijing and Shanghai into a contrasting system, but also interprets the unique cultural connotations of the two cities. In addition, gender configuration, as an important part of urban configuration, runs through urban research, providing another research perspective. Looking at the entire field of overseas Chinese modern literature research, Zhang Yingjin has taken exploratory steps in modern Chinese literature and urban studies with his academic vision of connecting ancient and modern times and integrating China into the West.